Written Answers

Thursday 26 October 2000

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date this year it expects to make arable aid payments to farmers.

Ross Finnie: We commenced making payment of the second instalment of agri-monetary compensation to claimants under the 1999 Arable Area Payments Scheme (AAPS) on 16 October 2000, which is the first available date allowed under EU legislation. We are aiming to commence the issue of payments under the 2000 AAPS on 16 November which is the earliest possible date allowed under EU legislation.

BSE Inquiry

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the BSE Inquiry Report will be published.

Susan Deacon: The BSE Inquiry Report has been published today at Westminster. The remit of the Inquiry was to establish and review the history of the emergence and identification of BSE and New Variant CJD and to reach conclusions on the adequacy of the response, taking into account the state of knowledge at the time. The report is concerned primarily with actions and events in Whitehall departments, and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has today made an oral statement to the House of Commons.

  On behalf of the Scottish Executive, I welcome the Inquiry’s measured examination of the events between 1986-96 which led to this crisis. These events were of the utmost seriousness, not least to those individuals and families who have suffered. The adverse effects on the Scottish beef industry, and on the livelihoods of those who depend upon it, are also obvious.

  I would like to express thanks to Lord Phillips and all those who devoted so much of their time to the complicated and highly demanding task of completing the report.

  Some of the key general conclusions of the Inquiry are set out in the following quotations from the executive summary:

  "At the heart of the BSE story lie questions of how to handle hazard – a known hazard to cattle and an unknown hazard to humans. The Government took measures to address both hazards. They were sensible measures, but they were not always timely nor adequately implemented and enforced."

  "The rigour with which policy measures were implemented for the protection of human health was affected by the belief of many prior to early 1996 that BSE was not a potential threat to human life."

  "The Government was anxious to act in the best interests of human and animal health. To this end they sought and followed the advice of independent scientific experts – sometimes when decisions could have been reached more swiftly and satisfactorily within Government."

  "The Government did not lie to the public about BSE. It believed that the risks posed by BSE to humans were remote. The Government was preoccupied with preventing an alarmist over-reaction to BSE because it believed that the risk was remote. It is now clear that this campaign of reassurance was a mistake."

  "Cases of a new variant of CJD were identified by the CJD Surveillance Unit and the conclusion that they were probably linked to BSE was reached as early as was reasonably possible. The link between BSE and Variant CJD is now clearly established, though the manner of infection is not clear."

  With reference to events and actions in Scotland, the Inquiry finds that the then Scottish Office could have been more proactive in dealing with the challenge of BSE. Communication links between the Health and Agriculture Departments and Whitehall could have been more effective. It is important however to note that, in the Inquiry’s words:

  "There were no special features of the disease that would have justified a separate set of policies here…"

  and:

  "The people of Scotland were not served any less well than the rest of the UK."

  Since 1996 significant changes have occurred. Constitutional change and the devolution of animal health, human health and food safety have established crucial mechanisms within Scotland for scrutinising the actions of the Executive and holding it to account for policy development in the relevant areas. All UK authorities recognise that disease, animal or human, does not respect geographical boundaries and that there are significant benefits from working in a cohesive way within a common EU framework.

  The newly established Food Standards Agency is, for example, set up on an UK-wide basis yet has a distinctive Scottish presence, and is paid for and accountable to the Scottish Parliament for its actions in Scotland. It is also equipped to approach food safety matters in a multi-disciplinary way and has direct oversight of the Meat Hygiene Service in Scotland.

  New linkages have been established between Health and Rural Affairs Departments in the Scottish Executive to ensure that the Executive’s commitment to joined up government is met. There is also a firm commitment to good communication and a shared understanding of policy direction between the Executive and Whitehall, leaving room to develop distinctive Scottish solutions where these are necessary and are compatible with EU requirements.

  Given the complexity and length of the report it would be premature at this stage to comment in detail on the Inquiry’s findings. The report will need careful study and time will be required to digest it fully. It has today been laid in the Scottish Parliament and copies of the key findings and a summary volume have been made available to SPICe and to all members of the Health and Rural Affairs Committees.

  To date 85 definite or probable cases of variant CJD have been reported in the UK. 80 people have died, including 13 in Scotland.

  The care of patients suffering from vCJD and support for their families must therefore be our first concern. The Inquiry said that the victims of vCJD and their families have special needs, which require to be addressed. We are taking steps to do so. A new national fund will be set up, to help ensure all patients receive consistent high quality care. The fund will be held by the national co-ordinator at the CJD Surveillance Unit in Edinburgh, who will be assisted by a new support team and a national network of experts available to support local services. There will also be strengthened guidance for local health and social care professionals.

  Variant CJD is a fatal illness with devastating effects on patients and families. Thus, in addition to the enhanced care package, appropriate support will also be provided for those who are suffering from vCJD, for those who care for them, and for the families of those who have already died. Financial arrangements to benefit sufferers from vCJD and their families across the UK will therefore be put in place, taking account of particular needs in individual cases.

  The preferred option is to establish a compensation scheme resulting in a special Trust Fund. There are a number of other possible options, and there will be consultations with the families affected to identify the best way forward.

  It will be important to learn lessons from the report. The Executive will take all necessary action to ensure that this is done and will keep Parliament fully informed.

Children

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in implementing the requirements of the Child Strategy Statement.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Child Strategy Statement was published in January 1998 requiring all departments of the Scottish Office to identify and take account of the interests of children when developing policy. The Statement has recently been re-issued in updated form. I wrote to local authorities last month, with copies to a range of other public bodies, encouraging them to adopt the principles it sets out.

Climate Change Levy

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken any assessment of any additional costs to local authorities as a result of the climate change levy, whether it will detail any such costs broken down by local authority and whether it intends to make an allocation in next year’s local government finance settlement to cover any such costs.

Mr Jack McConnell: Local authorities will be expected to make their own assessment of the impact of the climate change levy on their costs and to take whatever mitigation measures they consider appropriate. The levy is intended to encourage organisations in both the public and private sector to become more energy efficient. It would be counter-productive therefore to meet local authority costs through the local government finance settlement. However, there will be an opportunity for CoSLA to discuss this as part of the local government finance settlement consultations if they wish.

Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to list (a) the total amount of the Scottish budget under the control of the Scottish Executive and previously the Secretary of State for Scotland that was not spent by the end of each financial year since 1979, (b) the amount of this underspend that was carried forward in each year into the same overall budget for the following year and (c) the amount that was passed back to Her Majesty’s Government.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Chancellor announced in July 1998 that, other than in exceptional circumstances, in future all underspends on Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) would be reclaimable under End Year Flexibility. I attach two tables setting out total unspent balances, retained balances and net underspend prior to the change in July 1998; and a further table setting out the same information after the change. Since the Chancellor’s change, the net underspend in the main comprises Annually Managed Expenditure (AME). That is expenditure which is managed annually because it cannot reasonably be subject to firm multi-year limits. Expenditure in AME is generally less predictable and controllable than expenditure in DEL.

  Table 1: Unspent balance, retained balance, net underspend pre-change

  





1993-94


1994-95


1995-96


1996-97




Unspent Balance


151


188


259


245




Retained Balance


98


19


46


121




Net Underspend


132


142


161


124




  Table 2: Unspent balance, retained balance, net underspend post change

  





1997-98


1998-99




Unspent Balance


161


310




Retained Balance


122


283




Net Underspend


39


27

Lingerbay Quarry

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when there will be a determination as to the application for planning permission for a quarry at Lingerbay, Harris.

Mr Jim Wallace: The report of the public local inquiry and the judgment on the petition for judicial review are being considered and every effort is being made to reach an early decision.

Local Government Boundary Commission

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the appointment of a successor to Lord Osborne as Chairman of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Mr John Marjoribanks will be appointed as Chairman of the Commission with effect from 1 November 2000.

Local Government Finance

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the additional funding for local government announced by the Minister for Finance on 20 September 2000 includes finance to cover the costs of a national concessionary fares scheme and, if not, which budget heading such finance will come from.

Mr Jack McConnell: Within the additional £1.2 billion investment in local government grant over the next three years, which I announced last month, allowance is included to enable local authorities to enhance their existing concessionary travel schemes.

Local Government Finance

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate why Aberdeenshire Council has spent £306,000 of public money on the "Archeo-Link" over the last three years.

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to or hold discussions with Aberdeenshire Council on funding required to continue the Central Aberdeenshire Youth Advice Project.

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to or hold discussions with Aberdeenshire Council on funding required to reopen public toilet facilities.

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to or hold discussions with Aberdeenshire Council on funding required for provision of free school bus transport for primary school children living in rural areas.

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will initiate a public inquiry into the handling of Aberdeenshire Council’s budget with a view to the council reprioritising its expenditure.

Mr Jack McConnell: It is for the council to determine its spending priorities within its statutory powers.

Meningitis

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many laboratory confirmed cases of meningitis C have been reported this year and how this compares with 1998 and 1999.

Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-9578 on 25 September.

NHS Funding

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to seek recovery of any overspends in the year 1999-2000 from hospital Trusts.

Susan Deacon: NHS Trusts which overspent in 1999-2000 have been asked to produce financial plans, which demonstrate how recurring financial balance will be achieved and which will also recover cumulative overspends. Maintaining sound finances is a prerequisite of delivering effective health care which the substantial additional resources for the NHS in Scotland, this year and in the next three years, are designed to facilitate.

NHS Funding

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many studies have been commissioned since June 1999 into the use of private finance in the NHS.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive Health Department has not commissioned any studies into the use of private finance in the NHSiS since June 1999. However, Public/Private Partnerships within the NHS in Scotland are subject to robust guidance and rules which have been developed in the light of experience in Scotland and the rest of the UK.

National Lottery Awards

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, for each year since the national lottery started, how much was paid by each of the lottery distributing bodies (a) in grants to projects or groups in Scotland; (b) for the administration of the lottery funds in Scotland; (c) to consultants commissioned by the lottery administration, and (d) to consultants by applicants for lottery funds.

Rhona Brankin: These are matters for the distributors and the requested information is not held centrally. I have, therefore, referred the question to each distributor, requesting them to write directly to the member with the relevant information for each full year up to 31 March 2000, copies of which will be placed in SPICe.

Police

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Scotland’s Chief Constables regarding the use of leg restraints.

Mr Jim Wallace: There have been no discussions between the Executive and Forces about this matter. It is for Chief Constables to determine the use of particular equipment in their Forces consistent with their obligations under the ECHR. I understand that Fife Constabulary trialled the use of leg restraints for controlling violent detainees but no decision has been taken about the longer-term use of such equipment.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the number of prisoners in Scottish prisons who suffer from autism.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows.

  The information is not available.

Prison Service

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the number of people and proportion of the population in penal establishments in Scotland compares with the equivalent figures for the rest of the UK and Europe and what steps are being taken to reverse the growth in the prison population in Scotland that took place between 1979 and 1998.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information is given in the table below.

  The size of the prison population is the product of a number of factors including the level of crime, levels of reporting and detection, and decisions on prosecution and sentencing. As far as sentencing is concerned, we are committed to ensuring that the courts have a wide range of sentencing options available so that sentencers can make a non-custodial decision where they consider it is appropriate to do so in the circumstances of the particular case.

  We are working with local authorities to improve the quality and effectiveness of community disposals with the aim of increasing the confidence of sentencers and the public in such disposals. (The use of probation and community service orders has almost doubled over the past 10 years).

  We have funded the national roll-out of Supervised Attendance Orders for fine defaulters and are considering extension of the current pilot diversion from prosecution schemes.

  New community disposals being piloted include Drug Treatment and Testing Orders for drug misusers who commit crime on a frequent basis to fund their drug addiction.

  We are also piloting Restriction of Liberty Orders (electronic tagging) and are reviewing options for wider use of electronic monitoring.

  Since 1991-92, when the arrangements for 100% funding of criminal justice social work services were fully introduced, the funding for community disposals has risen from £16.5 million to £42.8 million, an increase of 159%.

  Prison Population, rate per 100,000 population by jurisdiction as at 1 September

  





Number of prisoners


Rate1 per 
100,000 population




Year


Scotland2


UK3


European Union4,5,8


Scotland2


UK3


European Union4,5,8




1999


6,030


72,782


360,7606


118


123


96




1998


6,018


73,243


361,604


118


124


96




1997


6,084


69,579


352,893


119


118


94




1996


5,862


63,039


339,385


114


107


91




1995


5,626


58,631


331,420


110


100


89




1994


5,585


56,888


331,892


109


97


89




1993


5,637


53,172


324,008


110


91


88




1992


5,257


53,418


299,9907


103


92


82




1991


4,839


53,145


270,363


95


92


74




1990


4,724


52,106


262,514


93


91


72




1989


4,986


55,282


260,713


98


96


72




1988


5,229


57,229


266,150


103


100


73




1987


5,466


54,746


264,002


107


96


73




  Source: Statistical contacts in each country.

  Notes:

  1. Based on estimates of national population.

  2. Average daily population; figure for 1999 is provisional.

  3. England and Wales figure as at 31 August.

  4. Current EU 15 comprising: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Eire, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and UK.

  5. Figures for Austria as at 31 August; figures for Belgium are average daily population; figures for Finland and Spain as at 31 December; figures for Germany as at 30 September, and figures for Netherlands as at 1 January.

  6. Figures for Germany and Luxembourg relate to 1998.

  7. Includes estimated figure for Germany.

  8. Pre-1992 figures for Germany relate to West Germany only, post-1992 figures relate to East & West Germany.

Scottish Arts Council

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Scottish Arts Council spent in the North Lanarkshire Council area in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available and how its spending per head in North Lanarkshire compares with the Scottish average.

Rhona Brankin: In 1998-99 the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) allocated £111,077 (equivalent to £0.43 per head of adult population) of Voted Funds to organisations based in North Lanarkshire out of its total grant from the Scottish Office of £27,184,000 (equivalent to £6.62 per head of adult population in Scotland)). In addition organisations based in North Lanarkshire received £148,646 (equivalent to £0.57 per head of adult population) of total Scottish Arts Council Lottery funding in Scotland in 1998-99 of £22,844,985 (equivalent to £5.56 per head of adult population in Scotland).

  In both cases a number of other organisations supported by SAC will have been active in North Lanarkshire in that period, although not based there. Fuller details of SAC funding of the different art forms are to be found in the SAC Annual Report and Accounts for 1998-99, which have been laid before Parliament.

Scottish Executive Expenditure

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money it owed its suppliers at the end of the 1999-2000 financial year and how much of that money was more than 30 days overdue.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive aims to pay all valid invoices within 30 days of receipt, or within other agreed contractual terms. At the end of the 1999-2000 financial year the Executive, including its executive agencies and associated departments, held unpaid invoices totalling £21.6 million. Of these, it is estimated that invoices which were overdue amounted to less than £10,000 of the overall total.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how long the Scottish Qualifications Authority must retain examination papers before they can be destroyed.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The retention of marked scripts is an operational matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority. However, I understand from SQA that scripts are destroyed at the end of the appeals process each year.

University Research

Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines are given to universities regarding the commercialisation of university research.

Henry McLeish: In its annual guidance letter to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, in February this year, we encouraged the promotion of better commercialisation and the continuation of funding streams to support this. We are precluded by legislation from directing funding to specific institutions or subject areas.

  The Scottish Executive’s approach to the commercialisation of research is set out in the 1999 Report of the Knowledge Economy, entitled Scotland: Towards the Knowledge Economy.

Waste Management

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3544 by Sarah Boyack on 26 January 2000, when the studies being conducted by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to determine likely sources of tritium within the landfill leachate will be available.

Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-10185 on 25 October.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer why 4,000 square metres of corridors have been added to the plans for the Holyrood building and for what purpose this additional space will be used.

Sir David Steel: The architects advised Project Management in August 1999 that the gross area of the building was 4,000m 2 greater than had been advised previously. An explanation was requested for this, and initial indicators were that the area was largely in plant, circulation, toilets and other ancillary areas. Before a full investigation was completed, however, the SPCB asked the architects to undertake a feasibility study to provide accommodation for additional staff required to cope with expanding workloads across the Parliament. As a result the design was fundamentally revised. The final Stage D design, which incorporates the results of the feasibility study, was endorsed by the SPCB and HPG in June.